An asylum-seeker is someone who identifies himself or herself as a refugee, but whose claim for international protection has not yet been assessed by UNHCR or a competent government authority.
As Indonesia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR assesses an asylum-seeker’s claim for international protection through an individual refugee status determination (RSD) procedure.
Following registration, UNHCR makes use of a qualified interpreter to conduct an interview with the asylum-seeker. The interview process leads to a reasoned decision on whether refugee status is to be granted or not, based on the definition of a refugee contained in the 1951 Refugee Convention and relevant UNHCR guidelines. An asylum-seeker who is initially rejected for refugee status is granted an opportunity to appeal that decision, and he or she will remain an asylum-seeker until the appeal process has been concluded.
As of end of end June 2017, there are 5,274 asylum seekers cumulatively registered with UNHCR Jakarta mainly from Afghanistan (44%) and Somalia (17%).